Collapsible trestle for stretchers



YMamh 17, 1942. .1.A sToLLENwERK 2,276,998*

,COLLAPSIBLE TRESTLE FOR STRETCHERS Filed Feb.- 9, 193s A 2 sheets-sheet 1 *Elm* IM Ml f March 17, 1942.

J. STOLLENWERK Filed Feb. 9, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Si m2 si Ea '.-Fi

Ay, m2 .R1 i R1 m2 mi 7721 i Patented Mar. 17, 1942 COLLAPSEBLE TRESTLE FOR STRETCHERS Johann Stcllenwerk, Nowawes, near Potsdam, Germany Application February 9, 1938, Serial No. 189,700 In Germany February 16, 1.937

3 Claims.

The subject matter of the present invention is a collapsible trestle for stretchers, which is intended to be installed upon vehicles of every description. According to this invention the trestle is of such design that as long as it is out of use, it .can be folded up in such a manner that it will only require very little space. if patients are to be conveyed, the trestle can most conveniently be opened and placed in position so as to be ready for use, and so that several stretchers for patients can be accommodated in such a manner that the spac-e at disposal is used highly economically. Care has ybeen taken by the arrangement of a particularly appropriate design of supporting spring on which those parts are suspended, .on to which the stretchers are placed when used, so that no shocks of any intensity are transmitted either to the stretcher or to the patient, without, however, a possibility existing of the stretcher adopting undesired vibrations.

The invention is primarily characterized by the feature that the trestle is suitable to be installed upon vehicles of whatsoever description, for the purpose of placing the stretchers upon it. It is provided with rails which are attached to sliding sleeves so as to be foldablc and unfoldable, said sleeves sliding along vertical rods in such a manner that they can be arranged at the desired respective level by means of suitable devices, for instance cotters or the like. The framework can in this manner bc adapted so as to be used for four or even more stretchers, two stretchers each then being placed on either side of the vertical rods of the trestle.

One suitable design of construction of this trestle is shown in the illustrations.

Figure l is a side elevation of one form of the improved trestle.

Figure 2 is an end View of the same, the parts being shown in operative positions.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the same with the parts in operative positions.

Figure 4 is an end view of the same with the parts in folded positions.

Figure 5 is-an elevation, partly in section, of a detail showing the means for supporting the upper bars in operative positions.

Figure 5 is a similar View shown in plan and partly in section.

Figure 7 is a detail View showing the means for supporting the lower bars in operative positions.

Figure 8 is a plan, partly in section, of the same.

Figure 9 is a broken plan view of a modified form.

Figure l0 is a sectionalview on the line A-B of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a sectional view on the line C-D of Figure 9.

The trestle consists of longitudinal struts a and transversal struts b, the cross section of which can either be rectangular, circular, or of any other suitable shape. The base is on either side supported by a central pedestaly r to which the struts a and b are fixed, as is disclosed by Figure l. The pedestals r are provided with folding rods o which are pivotably assembled so as to pivot around pins q. The rods o, when unfolded downwardly, are held in their yposition by collars p so as to impart a higher degree of stability to the trestle.

Sliding sleeves c and d are provided on the struts b and can be fixed at any desired height by means of cotters e or other suitable devices; As can be seen in Figure 5, bars f having lateral extensions formed with slots g, are-pivotally attached to bolts h, as far as the upper sliding sleeves c are concerned, in such a way that, when opened, they will rest against the stop surfaces or abutments g1. The lower or inferior bars i are pivotally attached to the lower sliding sleeves d by means of bolts k which bars i when in operative position rest against shoes l. Rails n are pivotally Xed to both pair of bars, f and i respectively, by means of suitable elastic meinn bers m.

The stretchers for the patients can be placed on said rails n and fixed on to them in a manner appropriate to the purpose. The dimensions of the xing means are preferably to be selected in such a way that both types of stretchers customarily used at present can be placed and fixed on the rails.

The trestle according to the present invention is designed so as to be collapsible as long as not used, for the purpose of saving space, as is disclosed by Figure 4. The particular design of construction of the bars i and f, and also of the sliding sleeves c and d, and furthermore the manner in which the bars are assembled to the latter so as to be able to pivot on them, can be seen from Figures 5 to 8. By the manner in which the upper bars f are placed on their bearing members in slot holes like connecting links and pivotally fixed to the upper sliding sleeve, it is apparent that the lower bars i and rails ny carried thereby when turned up to their upper position, will assume a position with the rails n substantially in contact, Whereas the upper bars f with the rails n carried thereby will then be lifted up, as permitted by the slots g in such a way that thereby it is rendered possible to turn them down, whereby they will be placed laterally alongside the lower bars i. vIf the rods o pivotally attached to the pedestals T, which when used, provide the required stability, have previously also been turned in an upward direction so as to pivot around on pivot q after removal of the collars p, the entire structure, as long as not used, will occupy very little space. In case of requirement for use the rods o are turned to their lowest position, in which they are secured by means of the collars p, the bars f are turned upwardly, whereas the bars i are turned in a downward direction, whereupon the trestle will thus be ready to take up 4 stetchers for patients after the trestle has been screwed on to the oor of the vehicle, the space at disposal thereby being used in a most economical manner.

The scope of this invention is not restricted-to the means used in the case of the model of construction. The trestle can naturally also be adapted so as to accommodate more than two pairs of stretchers. For the spring-suspension of the rails on which the stretchers are to be placed, torsional springs or ribbon springs coiled as spiral springs, and the like, can also be used inthe place of those springs shown in the illustrations. It is particularly appropriate to the purpose to construct the spring-supporting design in such a way as is disclosed by illustrations 9 to 11. The frame formed by the supports R1 and thefcarriers R2, is pivotally attached to the bars f which, for instance, can be made of metal tubes. Both ends of the carriers Rz are shaped so as to form pins R3 on which the rails n are placed, this being preferably done in such a manner that U-shaped iron members n1 and 11,2 are at suitable distances fixed to the lower surfaces of the channel irons n, one of which members, namely, n1, is provided with a circular perforation S1, the other, i. e., n2, with a slot-shaped perforation S2. The U-shaped rails n are, by means of these circular and longitudinal perforations, S1 and S2 respectively, slid on to the pins R3 of the carriers R2. According to this invention the spring suspension is realised preferably by means of helical springs m, and more exactly in such a way that resting surfaces m1 are arranged along the bars f, whereas corresponding resting surfaces m2 are provided on the supports R1 of the frame. The supports R1 are most preferably made of fiat bar-irons. The resting surfaces on them can then in a very simple manner be formed out of fiat irons m2 which are either xed to the supports R1 by riveting them on, or in another suitable manner, these fiat irons near their upper end being provided with a rectangular bend. In the example illustrated by the drawings a rivet m3 and a sleeve m4 defining the correct distance, are used in such a waythat a certain play is allowed between R1 and m2, and in such a manner that the supporting surface m2 will continue to maintain its perpendicular position as compared with the direction of pressure in every case of actual spring action. The helical springs mare then caught between the surfaces m1 and m2 by devices similar to clamping levers. In this manner it is rendered possible to place the point where the supports R51 contact the springs m, in very close .vicinity of the turning point, and also of the turning axis of the supports R1 and of the entire frame R1, R2, respectively, so that as a consequence the leverage of the load acting upon the carriers R2, and affecting the supporting springs m, will be many times greater than the leverage of supports R1 upon the springs m. The resting surfaces m1 and m2 are preferably provided with small pins z, see Figure lO--onto which the helical springs m are pushed, to which latter these pins afford the required support. This method of xing the helical springs offers the advantage that the latter can very easily be replaced by new ones. Merely a lifting of the parts R1, R2 is required in order to do this. With the aid of a suitable tool, for instance a sufficiently strong piece of Wire or of a flat iron, the parts can very easily be held in the position necessary for exchanging the springs, the tool for this purpose being inserted between the support R1 and, for instance, the resting surface m1.

In order to prevent the springs m from dropping away upon the rails being lifted, a detachable limiting stop can be provided, by which the upward movement of the supports R1 is limited in such a way that the springs m are not yet released by the pin z. This limiting stop consists preferably of a rib St which can be unscrewed and overbridges the distance between the plates or resting surfaces m1, and of a lug N1 provided on the rear surface of the supports R1, which lug upon the rail n when the frame is lifted, will rest against the ribs St and thus limit the motion in upward direction. If it is intended to exchange the springs m, the ribs St are unscrewed, whereupon the supports R1 can be lifted so far that the springs m will be released by the pins z.

It is evident that a stretcher with a patient, when placed upon the rails n, can merely adopt smooth upward and downward movements in case of any shock occurring, and also asa consequence of other forces displaying their influence upon the car, and that, on the other hand, every kind of pitching or tilting is out of the question, because the frames formed of the parts R1, R2 can only as one single unit pivot around the bars f, wherefore rails n will carry out all movements jointly, and will permanently keep their positions parallel to one another and at one and the same level.

What I claim ist:

1. A stretcher frame including a base, uprights carried by the base, bars pivotally connected to the uprights for upward swinging, means for limiting the downward swinging of the bars, supports swingingly connected to and extending laterally of each bar in spaced relation, carriers connected to and supported by the ends of the supports remote from the bars, rails carried by the free ends of the carriers beyond the bars, and resilient supporting means for the supports, said supporting means being arranged adjacent the bars and forming the sole positioning means for the supports and their connected parts.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1 wherein each resilient means includes a pair of springs arranged on opposite sides of and supporting the particular support.

3. A construction as defined in claim 1 wherein each resilient means includes a pair of springs, a plate resting upon the upper end of each spring and extending downwardly between the springs, and a connection between said plates and the particular support.

JOHANN STOLLENWERK. 

